Website Maps Gas Prices, Makes You Jealous of Wyoming

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Website Maps Gas Prices, Makes You Jealous of Wyoming

Gas prices are normally Autopia's beat, but I couldn't help posting GasBuddy.com's gas prices "temperature" map. Note how similar gas prices are within individual states and how much they vary between states. Using just gas price data, you could practically draw the state lines, if they weren't already inked in for you. Look at that Illinois-Missouri border!

This county-by-county highlights the importance of energy policy at the state level in driving prices, at least at the relatively small variations in price they are mapping here. At the big picture level, of course, all of these prices are several times higher than they were back in 1999.

What this map doesn't show is that natural gas, which is ultimately pegged to the price of oil, has gottentwice as expensive since the 90s, too. That makes heating your home more expensive, and also juices the price of fertilizer and chemicals, which often use the stuff as a feedstock.

Some data suggests that people are changing their behavior as a result of fuel price increases. Have you changed your habits at all?